When I was a kid, I LOVED visiting the local pet store. And even though I thought the cute kitties and fluffy bunnies were nice, I was always most enamored by the “creepy-crawlies”—the reptiles! Unfortunately for me, my folks were not so hot on the idea of having to feed rodents to slithering houseguests, so my dream of owning one was, sadly, never fully realized.

Nonetheless, even to this day, when I come across one of these vibrant creatures, I still feel the need to share it with the world! Take the lizard in today’s viral video, for instance. This vibrantly-colored panther chameleon can change shades so quickly, it will make you want to adjust the settings on your computer!

The clip starts off with a reptile store employee holding one of these guys in front of a mirror; a bit of a strange scenario, if you ask me! But it’s all for good reason as these are the optimal circumstances for witnessing this chameleon’s color transformation.

You see, if this guy was just happily chilling in his cage, he would simply be “wearing” his green skin, but the moment he sees another male, or even a female in some cases, a protective instinct starts stirring, and he changes color. Obviously, this animal can’t exactly wrap his pointy head around the concept of mirrors, so he essentially thinks that the reflection staring back at him is another male.

As the chameleon starts shifting from green to orange, an onlooker asks, “So, I take it they don’t get along with other ones?” The clerk answers, “Not other males, not at all. They’ll fight to the death.” Yikes! We don’t even want to know how bad it would be if two of these guys met up in the wild!

The panther chameleon who stars in today’s clip is green, but you can actually find these special reptiles in an impressive range of colors, everywhere from blue, red, orange, and even pink!

If you’re particularly transfixed with this curious chameleon and want to own one for yourself, look no further than your local reptile breeder. Though these guys look like they can only be found deep within the rain forests of Madagascar, they actually are relatively simple to keep.

Reptiles Magazine says that these lizards need all of the creature comforts that your average chameleon would require, like a tall, screened-in enclosure and plenty of crickets, of course. And, though the clip shows this particular animal in the midst of a heated moment, experts claim that this species is one of the most docile.

To see an out-of-this-world panther chameleon transform from green to yellow in a matter of seconds, be sure to click on the video below. What an incredible animal!

What do you think of this color-changing reptile? Do you own one of these guys yourself? What’s the most mind-blowing animal you’ve ever seen? Tell us all about your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!